Welcome to this Week in Palestine, a service of the International Middle East Media Center, http://www.imemc.org, for November 24thth to the 30th, 2012.

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The UN General Assembly voted this week to upgrade the status of Palestine observer mission to a non-member state and Israel responds by announcing plans to build 3000 settler units in the West Bank. These stories and more, coming up, stay tuned.

The Nonviolence Report

Let’s us begin our weekly report with nonviolent activities organized in West Bank. anti wall protests this Friday was in celebration of the Un General assembly to grant Palestine a nonmember state status. IMEMC’s Salam Qumsiyeh has the story:

On Friday villagers and international and Israeli supporters organized protests at the villages of Bil’in Ni’lin and al Nabi Saleh in central West Bank, as well as Al Ma’ssara village in southern West Bank in addition to Kufer Kadum, in the north.

Three civilians were slightly wounded, when Israeli soldiers used tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets to suppress the weekly anti wall protest at the village of al Nabi Saleh. Troops attacked the villagers and their supporters before they even left the village.

Three young men were hit with rubber coated steel bullets while many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation. this week the protest ended with clashes between local youth and invading Israeli forces.

Two men were injured on Friday at the nearby Bil’in and Ni’lin. Villagers and their international supporter managed to reach the Israeli wall built on lands owned by local farmers. Soldiers stationed there fired tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets. Two civilian sustained light wounds in Bil’in when they were hit directly by rubber-coated steel bullets.

In Kufer Kadum village this week, many were treated for the effects of tear gas inhalation, when Israeli soldiers attacked the weekly anti wall protest.

Also on Friday at the village of Al Ma’ssara, near the southern West Bank city of Bethlehem, villagers and their supporters protested the Israeli wall and settlements. Soldiers stationed at the village entrance forced people back using rifle buts and batons, no injuries were reported.

For IMEMC News this is Salam Qumsiyeh

The Political Report

On Thursday, United Nations General Assembly upgraded the status of Palestine observer mission to a non-member state. Local and international bodies have welcomed the move as a good step to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. From Gaza, IMEMC’s Rami Al Meghari has more:

In a unanimous UN vote on Thursday, United Nations General Assembly upgraded the status of Palestine observer mission to a non-member state status. Local and international bodies have welcomed the move as a good step in terms of Palestinian-Israeli conflict. From Gaza, IMEMC’s Rami Al Meghari has more:

Palestinians in both Gaza Strip and West Bank hailed the move and took out to streets, considering the move as a right step in the right direction. Palestinian president talked to world countries' representatives at the UN's headquarter in New York, marking the anniversary of the Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian people, in which world bodies voted for the upgrading.

Actuality "In Arabic".

“What motivates the Israeli government to continue its aggressive policy comes from the belief that it’s above the international law, the time has come for the world to clearly say no aggression, no to settlements and no to the occupation, that’s why we are here today. We did not come here to remove the legitimacy from an existing country since decades, which is Israel, but to ensure the legitimacy of a country that must be established soon which Palestine is"

In the Gaza Strip, the ruling Hamas party supported the move and voiced hope it would help Palestinians attain their inalienable rights to historical Palestine, especially UN General Assembly's resolution, 194.

The new Palestine status recognizes Palestine as statehood only on the 1967 border lines, including Gaza Strip, West Bank and East Jerusalem. Professor As'ad Abu Sharekh is an independent political analyst in Gaza.

Actuality "In English".

"If it is going to sacrifice our rights, especially the right of return or our right to historical Palestine , then I think this is going to be jeopardizing our rights". 1967 borders do not represent the entire Palestinian homeland , which Israel occupied in 1948, right after colonial Britain withdrew forces from the Arab Palestinian territory. More than 7 hundred Palestinians were forced to flee to West Bank, Gaza, East Jerusalem and neighboring Arab countries. Palestinian estimates suggest that number of refugees stand now at about 8 million, including those inside and in the Diaspora.

From their parts , Israel, United States and other five countries, voted No to the status upgrade of Palestine. Israel and US want the Palestinian state to be realized through peace talks.

Since 1993, both Palestinians and Israelis have failed to achieve a durable peace, based on the 1967 border lines. Israel continued unilateral actions on the ground, mainly building illegal Jewish settlements or expansing existing ones in the West Bank and frequently attacking Gaza, hampering a real development. Palestinians have repeatedly called for an international pressure on Israel.

For IMEMC News, Iam Rami Almeghari in Gaza.

The West Bank & Gaza Report

Israel continued this week to violate the Egyptian mediated truce of last week. Israeli attacks on Gaza left at least two Palestinians killed and many others injured. Moreover in the west Bank the Israeli army conducted this week at least 81 military incursions into Palestinian communities in the West Bank. IMEMC’s Ghassan Bannoura reports Israeli soldiers targeted Palestinian communities in the West Bank cities of Nablus, Jenin, Ramallah and Jerusalem this week. During these invasions, soldiers arrested at least 99 Palestinians, including 9 children.

In related news Palestinian political prisoners Samier Al Isawi and Ayman Al Sharawnah continued this week their hunger strike, which they started three months ago. Both are protesting the Israeli administrative detention and ill treatment by their captives.

Israel uses the administrative detention to hold Palestinians for unspecified time for no reasons. Family members told local media that Al Isawi and Al Sharawnah have also stopped drinking water this week.

In Gaza Israeli attacks continued even after a truce deal mediated by Egypt with Palestinians resistance group and Israeli was reached last week.

On Sunday a Palestinian child was wounded when the Israeli Forces at the border fence, east of Khan Yunis, opened fire at a group of children who approached the fence in the east of Abassan, east of Khan Yunis. On Monday a total of seven Palestinians were injured, including two children, when Israeli forces stationed near the central Gaza – Israeli borders opened fire at civilians.

Later in the week a young Palestinian man was shot, on Tuesday, by a live round in the chest after Israeli soldiers, stationed across the border, opened fire at him east of Rafah city, in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.

On Wednesday evening Israeli troops shot and injured, seven Palestinians east of the Al-Maghazi and the Al-Bureij refugee camps in central Gaza. Medical sources reported that all of the wounded Palestinians were moved to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the Central District, and that one of them is in a serious condition.

Moreover, a Palestinian man was killed on Friday, six others injured, when a missile detonated near them, in northern Gaza strip. Local sources said that the missile was fired by Israeli plans during last week Israeli military offensive on Gaza.

For IMEMC News this is Ghassan Bannoura.

And that’s all for today from This Week in Palestine this was the Weekly report for November 24th to 30th 2012 from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. For more news and updates please visit our website at http://www.imemc.org. Today’s report has been brought to you by Husam Qassis and me, George Rishmawi.